Article 22's Elizabeth Suda

ARTICLE 22 is a sustainable accessories company that takes a market oriented and design driven approach to economic development and women?s empowerment through handcrafts, by promoting income generation, preserving culture, and protecting the environment.

When her suitcases are unpacked, Elizabeth, a New York native, is at home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She may otherwise be found busing through the emerald passes of the Annamite Mountains or strolling along the banks of the Seine. Traveling has been key to her conceptualization of ARTICLE 22 and design process. After nearly two years in the Merchandising Department at Coach, Inc., Elizabeth became curious about how and by whom the goods Americans consume are made.

She ventured to the other side of the world and found a home in SE Asia where she worked, and witnessed the intersection of sustainable economic development and globalization. She consulted for the Swiss NGO, Helvetas, on the income generating potential of handcrafts for the Rural Income through Sustainable Development Project, RISE, worked with a social business that supports women who hand weave textiles from naturally dyed yarns, and designed four clothing collections made from these eco-friendly fabrics, which were presented at Laos?s equivalent of fashion week. Recognizing that market linkage and design are major constraints on artisans, she founded ARTICLE 22 to create a traceable link between producers in the east and consumers in the west as well as to share the stories about the women behind the fabric.

Elizabeth currently manages the creative direction and business development of ARTICLE 22 and is producing a documentary on the peaceBOMB Story with London-based production company, Big Balls Films. She also speaks at school conferences such as the Ethnic Pen, and consults for NGO and businesses that work in the handcraft sector of economic development.